'I'd do it all again' says Nancy wannabe

Scottish-born singer and drama teacher Ashley Russell had been tipped as a favourite to play Nancy in a new production of Oliver but she talks to ELAINE OKYERE about moving on after being voted off I'd Do Anything

Scottish-born singer and drama teacher Ashley Russell had been tipped as a favourite to play Nancy in a new production of Oliver but she talks to ELAINE OKYERE about moving on after being voted off I'd Do Anything

FOR the past two months Ashley Russell has been rubbing shoulders with the likes of Denise Van Outen, Graham Norton and Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber. However, her hobnobbing with the stars came to an abrupt halt on May 11 when she was the seventh Nancy to be voted offthe BBC One show I'd Do Anything.

The actress had been competing with five other hopefuls to become Nancy in anew West End production of Oliver!

After her taste of stardom Ashley is doing her best to get her feet back on the ground.

She says: "I'm feeling quite positive about it all, to be honest. I've got opportunities that I never thought weregoing to come to me. So I'm just looking at it from that point of view.

"Obviously it's disappointing not to be in the competition any more, but I came quite a long way."

Ashley discovered she had been chosen to appear in the show six weeks after attending an open audition in London in January. So why did she put herself through the gruelling audition process?

"I genuinely believed I was good for the part of Nancy," Ashley says. "I had been auditioning and waiting for something good to come along and I thought this could be the perfect opportunity.

"It was quite hard. We did loads of audition rounds and all the rest of it. You had to have nerves of steel."

Ashley, who hails from Grangemouth in Scotland, did an acting degree at Queen Margaret University in Musselburgh before moving to London in 2005 to study at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, in Wood Green, under the Dame Judi Dench scholarship.

The 24-year-old has also taught at Stagecoach Harrow, a theatre school for children based at Rooks Heath College for Business and Enterprise, in Eastcote Lane, for the past two and a half years.

Prior to appearing on the hit BBC One show, Ashley had been auditioning for roles while teaching drama on a freelance basis.

Ashley says: "I always got down to the last round of auditions, but never got the part."

Competing with her fellow contenders was a surprisingly smooth experience for her, as there were no tears and tantrums before the big shows.

"I think when you're in the situation, it'seasier to cope with than from an outsider's point of view," says Ashley. "When I'm with my mum and my dad they are all panicking, but when you're on stage you just get on with it."

Despite the competition, the girls living in the Nancy house developed firm friendships.

"When they said there would be 12 girls living in the house I thought, oh no this is going to be fun and games, but we all got on really well and we still do.

"I'm very close to Rachel, Jessie and Jodie and I want Jodie to win.

"They keep talking about redefining the role and using a younger girl. I don't think they should though; if it's not broken, don't try to fix it."

Singing in front of millions of viewers every week was something Ashley had to get used to as she performed songs from musical theatre and pop hits.

"I had never done anything like this before so it was the most nerve-wracking thing ever," says Ashley.

She received some harsh criticism from Andrew Lloyd Webber, who told the budding star on more than one occasion that he couldn't see her holding a West End audience.

Lord Webber also told her he did not rate her voice.

"Andrew Lloyd Webber said some quite cutting things to me but, on a personal level, I got on quite well with him," Ashley says.

"I thought some of his comments were a bit harsh if I'm being absolutely honest, but you've just got to take it and deal with it."

Ashley wants to keep on auditioning and is determined to get an acting job. She also plans to return to Stagecoach Harrrow to visit her former pupils.

She says: "The support I've had since the show has been phenomenal. They have been sending me cards and they gave me a nice book and wrote wee messages in it - it was really lovely.

"I will have to go back and see them or they will fall out with me."

After the rollercoaster ride, Ashley is slowly getting used to life out of the Nancy bubble and being recognised on the street, but does she have any regrets?

"No," she laughs. "I would do the same thing again."

* The next episode of I'd Do Anything is on BBC One on Saturday at 7.45pm, followed on Sunday at 7.30pm by the results show.